Parents rally at Bishkek City Hall supporting dismissed school director

Parents rallied at Bishkek City Hall in support of Anara Abduraimova, the dismissed director of School No. 24. Abduraimova stated she disagrees with her termination, which followed a prosecutor's inspection concerning allegations of collecting money from parents. She asserts she did not collect funds and considers the dismissal unlawful, intending to contest it in court. Parents and teachers have expressed dissatisfaction with the decision made by oversight bodies. The head of the Bishkek City Education Department, Zhanybek Orozaaliev, met with the protesting parents. Abduraimova claims she was informed of her contract termination that morning and was asked to sign a dismissal order based on a commission's decision, but received no explanation for why she was fired outright instead of receiving a disciplinary measure. "I was fired for repeated violations and disciplinary actions. This is not true. They told me to sign the dismissal order. I asked: 'On what grounds?' They answered: 'Based on the protocol of July 1st,'" she recounted. Abduraimova insists she never personally handled money collection from parents or instructed teachers to do so. "I've worked for so many years and I myself hate it when a child or parents are pressured for money. I always believed that a school should have a culture where no teacher talks to parents about money," she noted. She explained that citizens voluntarily assisted the school through parent committees, as state schools often lack sufficient funding. "A state school is free. But funding is not always enough. Parents help voluntarily. Someone buys paint, someone pays for cabinet repairs, someone hires workers. Parents make these decisions themselves. They don't report to me," the director said. She also mentioned that the prosecutor's check was initiated after a complaint from a teacher who started working at the school in January 2025. "She wrote a complaint, including that I collect money. The prosecutor summoned me as a witness. A search was conducted at the school, my office and safes were checked, but no money was found with me, because there was none," Abduraimova asserted. She reiterated her belief that her dismissal is illegal and her intention to sue, stating, "I do not agree with this decision. I will sue because I consider the dismissal unfair and illegal." Following news of her dismissal, students' parents organized a peaceful assembly at Bishkek City Hall, demanding a review of the decision and her reinstatement. Abduraimova herself did not participate in the rally. The Bishkek prosecutor's office previously announced the initiation of a criminal case regarding the illegal collection of funds from students' parents at School No. 24, based on a check of the execution of the presidential decree on guarantees of free school education.

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I was fired for repeated violations and disciplinary actions. This is not true. They told me to sign the dismissal order. I asked: 'On what grounds?' They answered: 'Based on the protocol of July 1st.'